Courtesy Photo
Bandera senior fullback Wyatt Blair (2) evades a pair of Llano defenders on his way to a big gain for the Bulldogs. Blair rushed 30 times for 178 yards to lead all ball carriers in the game

The Llano Yellowjackets exploded for 26 second quarter points to break open a 7-7 deadlock and swarm past the Bandera Bulldogs 54-20 in District 13-4A-DII football action played on Friday, Nov. 3, at Llano. The victory by the Yellowjackets improves their overall record to 5-5 while clinching a playoff berth in the upcoming post-season tournament with a 2-2 district mark. The loss by the Bulldogs drops their overall mark to 2-7 and their district mark to 0-3 with one game remaining on the 2017 schedule. The Bulldogs will take on the powerful Navarro Panthers in the District 13-4A-DII finale this Friday night, Nov. 10, at Bulldog Stadium in Bandera. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. In the other district matchup this Friday, the Hondo Owls (2-7, 1-2) will travel to Wimberley to take on the 8-1, 3-0 front-running Texans. The Owls lost to the Navarro Panthers 56-29 in last Fridays’ district encounter played at Hondo.
The Bulldogs played it tight early at Llano as the first period ended with the teams tied at 7-7. Bandera’s first period score came on a Chase Havely-to-Ben Shackelford 4-yard touchdown pass. In the second period, the Yellowjackets struck for 4 unanswered touchdowns as the home team took a 33-7 lead going into the locker rooms at halftime. The Yellowjackets tacked on 14 more points in the third period and 7 in the fourth while the Bulldogs managed 6 points in the third on a Havely-to-Braeden Wheeler TD pass covering 12 yards and 7 in the fourth on a Havely 2-yard run to bring the final score to Llano 54, Bandera 20. The Yellowjackets totaled 388 yards of total offense that included 302 yards and five touchdowns rushing combined with 86 yards and three touchdowns through the air. The Yellowjackets had eight different players score touchdowns on the night.
The Bulldogs offense was led by senior fullback Wyatt Blair with 178 yards rushing on 30 carries and a pass completion of 39 yards. Other Bulldog rushers included Havely with 10 attempts for 13 yards and a TD, Travis Adams (4-6) and Shackelford (1-5). Shackelford led Bandera receivers with 2 receptions for 43 yards and a score while Wheeler (1-12-TD) and Blair (1-2) added a reception each for the Bulldogs.
Defensively, the Bulldogs were led by Ryan Smith with 8 total tackles, John Slaughter with 7 and Gunnar Brown with 4.
Friday night is also senior night in Bandera and all Bulldog seniors will be recognized before the game with Navarro. Come out early and show your Bulldog Pride!